Life, Death and Education. A couple of inspiring/thought provoking podcasts.

I don't only listen to technical podcasts. In fact there are 3 podcasts in particular that i listen to a lot; Radiolab, LES (London school of economics), and freakonomics radio. I usually post technical things on my blog but this time i thought id blog about a couple of episodes that i have listened to lately, thought provoking, inspirational, amazing, emotional.

How doctors want to die (hint: its very different from the general public)

Radiolab: The bitter end - http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2013/jan/15/bitter-end/
Thought provoking. A difficult subject, death, but one that i think that everyone should talk about. This is a really good episode about how doctors would like to die, and contrasting that with the general public and the expectations that the 2 groups have. i would encourage everyone to listen to this and to get their loved ones to as well, its great for sparking that difficult conversation.
Extract: We turn to doctors to save our lives -- to heal us, repair us, and keep us healthy. But when it comes to the critical question of what to do when death is at hand, there seems to be a gap between what we want doctors to do for us, and what doctors want done for themselves.

Khan Academy - Reimagining Education

LES podcasts: Khan Academy - Reimagining Education - http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/events/2013/04/20130410t1830vOT.aspx
Inspirational. Remember school? You either loved it or hated it. This podcast contains a great discussion on education of the future, some really good thinking on mastery and how education could be better in the future. I've got a little girl now and so we are thinking about her education, i hope the schools she goes to are as forward looking as these guys. I agree 100 % that the progression to mastery is definitely the way rather than the old skool approach of a set pace for all.
Extract: Salman Khan tells the inspiring story of how the Khan Academy came to be and shares his thoughts on what education could (should?) be like in the future.

When does life begin? when does it end?

Radiolab: 23 weeks 6 days - http://www.radiolab.org/2013/apr/30/
Emotional. A difficult podcast to listen to as it not only talks about life and death but relates it back to real people and in particular the story of one family, and one very premature baby. As I've said I've got a little girl now and so I related to this story in a big way. It did make me cry! very moving. But it does have a happy ending.
Extract: When Kelley Benham and her husband Tom French finally got pregnant, after many attempts and a good deal of technological help, everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. Their story raises questions that, until recently, no parent had to face… and that are still nearly impossible to answer.